Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has spoken about his decision to start Cristiano Ronaldo for tonight’s clash with Sheriff. The Portugal international has returned to the Dutchman’s starting XI after missing the club’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday night. And he hopes to score tonight as the Red Devils look to increase their chances of topping their Europa League group.
Manchester United have been invigorated for tonight’s clash against Sheriff, with Ten Hag calling on the bigwigs to get the job done.
David De Gea starts in goal, and the Spain international has yet to miss a single match so far this season.
Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia have been deployed at right back and left back respectively, with Victor Lindelof accompanying Lisandro Martínez at the head of his defence.
In midfield, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes keep their places in the team.
And, above, Ronaldo has the go-ahead ahead of Marcus Rashford with Alejandro Garnacho and Antony on the wings.
For Ronaldo, it represents the chance to add to his two-goal tally this term, while also giving him a chance to make amends for his recent blow against Tottenham.
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Ten Hag’s comments come roughly 24 hours after he shed light on Ronaldo’s return.
“Yes, Cristiano will be in the squad on Thursday,” the 52-year-old said in his pre-match press conference.
“I think we said everything and answered all the questions. He was out for one game and now he’s back in the team as usual.”
“It’s done. He’s back. Let’s focus on the game.”
And, also in his press conference, Ten Hag confirmed that Raphael Varane would be out until the World Cup after getting injured against Chelsea last time out.
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“Raphael Varane is not in the squad,” he said.
“He will be out, certainly, until the World Cup.
“He will not play in this block for Manchester United. I think he can play in the World Cup, but we have to see how he evolves and how his rehabilitation evolves.”
Ten Hag feels United are developing well under his guidance, while insisting the Red Devils must keep their focus to ensure they stay on the right track.
“Definitely. But going from one step to the next, the first thing we have to do is win the next match,” he said when asked if his goal was to lead the group.
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“That’s tomorrow, so focus 100% on this and don’t look too far ahead because then you lose focus. Focus on one thing: win the next game.
“Their [only] four games and Europe is obviously different. But I like Europe. I like the European mentality, especially in the last game against Omonia when there was a great atmosphere in the stadium and then at the end when we scored the winning goal, it was very good to celebrate that, the players with the fans, and I hope we have that too. morning.
“The games in Europe, we all use them to improve, to improve and that is what we have to do.
“We are not satisfied, we are happy with some of our performances, some of our results, but after 24 hours, we move on and get to the next one.
“We have to approach each game and also see at this point where we are in the season.”
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